Saturday, July 31, 2021

Goals for August 2021


Bible Reading Goals for August 2021

  • I will be reading Psalm 107-118 thirty times.
  • I will be reading Matthew 17-20 thirty times.
  • I will continue on with the M'Cheyne reading plan. (To be honest, I'm a bit OVER this plan. It just isn't a good fit for me.)
  • I will continue reading the NASB 2020 Large Print Thinline Bible using a revised Professor Horner plan. I  have already read some books twice. Books I haven't read even once: Deuteronomy, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel. Everything else I've read once--or twice.
  • My BIG, BIG, BIG goal is to finish the OLD TESTAMENT using the 1611 KJV. I'm in Psalms at the moment. 
  • I will probably keep reading in the BSB translation. 

Reading Goals for August 2021

I have four books that came up in my RANDOM challenge. I definitely want to read these four.
  • The Cryptographer's Dilemma. Johnnie Alexander. 2021. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • Let It Be Me. Becky Wade. 2021. [May] 378 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • The Silver Shadow. Liz Tolsma. 2021. [May] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • Man of Sorrows, King of Glory: What the Humiliation and Exaltation of Jesus Mean for Us. Jonty Rhodes. 2021. [June] 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]
When I finish those four books, I want to read MORE Christian fiction and Christian nonfiction. To meet my goal of 100 books for the year--I'll need to read fifty-nine more books. Only FIVE MONTHS to read fifty-nine books. That's about twelve to thirteen books a month. 

Since I've already chosen SOME books randomly from my master list of review copies, I thought I would work on a list of INTENTIONAL reads. 
  • A Cowboy for Keeps. (Colorado Cowboys #1) Jody Hedlund. 2021 [January] 341 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • The Vanishing at Loxby manor. Abigail Wilson. 2021. [January] 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • The Moonlight School. Suzanne Woods Fisher. 2021. [February] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • When Twilight Breaks. Sarah Sundin. 2021. [February] 365 pages. [Source: Review copy]
  • The Seeds of Change (Leah's Garden #1) Lauraine Snelling. 2021. [June] 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

August Will Be Intentional

I am choosing five books from my master list of 2021 review copies to read in August 2021. 


A Cowboy for Keeps. (Colorado Cowboys #1) Jody Hedlund. 2021 [January] 341 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Greta Nilsson's trip west to save her ailing little sister, Astrid, could not have gone more wrong. First, bandits hold up her stagecoach, stealing all her money. Then, upon arriving in Fairplay, Colorado, she learns the man she was betrothed to as a mail-order bride has died. Homeless, penniless, and jobless, Greta and her sister are worse off than when they started.

Wyatt McQuaid is struggling to get his new ranch up and running and is in town to purchase cattle when the mayor proposes the most unlikely of bargains. He'll invest in a herd of cattle for Wyatt's ranch if Wyatt agrees to help the town become more respectable by marrying and starting a family with Greta. But when old insecurities and surprising revolutions arise, can a union born out of desperation survive?


The Vanishing at Loxby manor. Abigail Wilson. 2021. [January] 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Haunted by the assault she’s kept hidden over the past four years, Charity Halliwell finally has a chance to return home to the quaint village she left more than five years before and the happy life she wants so badly to reclaim. All she needs is good conversation with her old friend and an opportunity to find a governess position, and she can leave the fear and guilt behind. But the family who agrees to her yearlong visit turns out to be a far cry from the one she thought she knew, particularly when her friend disappears and the one man she made certain would not be at the house is forced to return. How can she possibly heal and claim her independence when day in, day out she must face the only gentleman who ever held a piece of her heart?

Piers Cavanagh was branded a coward when he failed to show up for a duel he arranged. He had his reasons, of course, but disclosing them would hurt far more than continuing life as an outcast. And worse, with the mysterious departure of his sister, the strange nightly occurrences in the ruins of an old abbey, and the uncomfortable whispers of a secret organization, Piers must overcome his aversion to society and work with the last person he ever thought he would get the chance to speak to again—the girl whose heart he had no choice but to break.


The Moonlight School. Suzanne Woods Fisher. 2021. [February] 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Haunted by her sister's mysterious disappearance, Lucy Wilson arrives in Rowan County, Kentucky, in the spring of 1911 to work for Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education. When Cora sends Lucy into the hills to act as scribe for the mountain people, she is repelled by the primitive conditions and intellectual poverty she encounters. Few adults can read and write.

Born in those hills, Cora knows the plague of illiteracy. So does Brother Wyatt, a singing schoolmaster who travels through the hills. Involving Lucy and Wyatt, Cora hatches a plan to open the schoolhouses to adults on moonlit nights. The best way to combat poverty, she believes, is to eliminate illiteracy. But will the people come? 

As Lucy emerges from a life in the shadows, she finds purpose; or maybe purpose finds her. With purpose comes answers to her questions, and something else she hadn't expected: love. 

Inspired by the true events of the Moonlight Schools, this standalone novel from bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings to life the story that shocked the nation into taking adult literacy seriously. You'll finish the last page of this enthralling story with deep gratitude for the gift of reading.


When Twilight Breaks. Sarah Sundin. 2021. [February] 365 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession and to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country—or worse. If she does not report truthfully, she'll betray the oppressed and fail to wake up the folks back home.

Peter Lang is an American graduate student working on his PhD in German. Disillusioned with the chaos in the world due to the Great Depression, he is impressed with the prosperity and order of German society. But when the brutality of the regime hits close, he discovers a far better way to use his contacts within the Nazi party—to feed information to the shrewd reporter he can't get off his mind.

As the world marches relentlessly toward war, Evelyn and Peter are on a collision course with destiny.


The Seeds of Change (Leah's Garden #1) Lauraine Snelling. 2021. [June] 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Larkspur Nielsen is ready for a change. Her parents have passed on, and her older brother is successfully running the family business. She bristles at the small-mindedness that permeates life in her small Ohio community, and she sees little chance of a satisfying future there. She has a little money saved, and after turning the tables on a crooked gambler who had fleeced several locals, including her younger brother, she can stake a new start for herself and her three sisters.

As the gambler's threats of revenge echo in her ears, she and her sisters head to 
Independence, Missouri, to join a wagon train bound for Oregon. Knowing that four women traveling together will draw unwanted attention, Larkspur dons a disguise, passing herself off as "Clark" Nielsen, accompanying his three sisters. But maintaining the ruse is more difficult than Larkspur imagined, as is protecting her headstrong, starry-eyed sisters from difficult circumstances and eligible young men. Will reaching their goal prove too much for them?



© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Friday, July 30, 2021

July Reflections


July 2021 Bible Reading
  • In July I read Psalm 90-106 thirty times
  • In July I read Ephesians thirty times
  • In July I continued using the ESV Bible app to read the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan
  • In July I continued reading the NASB 2020 Bible with a revised Professor Horner reading plan
  • In July I continued to read in the BSB Bible
  • In July I went back to reading from the 1611 KJV Bible. I read 1 & 2 Kings, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Job! 

Books Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible:
37. The Wish Book Christmas. Lynn Austin. 2021. [September] 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]
38. 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (And Answer) About Christianity. Rebecca McLaughlin. 2021. [March] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]
39. The Lady in Residence. Allison Pittman. 2021. 239 pages. [Source: Review copy]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Monday, July 26, 2021

August will be RANDOM

I had such good luck with randomizing (many though not all) of my reads for July--most of which were reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews--I've decided to try that approach with my Christian fiction and Christian nonfiction.


The Cryptographer's Dilemma. Johnnie Alexander. 2021. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

JACKET COPY: FBI cryptographer Eloise Marshall is grieving the death of her brother, who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor, when she is assigned to investigate a seemingly innocent letter about dolls. Agent Phillip Clayton is ready to enlist and head oversees when asked to work one more FBI job. A case of coded defense coordinates related to dolls should be easy, but not so when the Japanese Consulate gets involved, hearts get entangled, and Phillip goes missing. Can Eloise risk loving and losing again?


Let It Be Me. Becky Wade. 2021. [May] 378 pages. [Source: Review copy]

JACKET COPY: The one woman he wants is the one he cannot have.

Former foster kid Sebastian Grant has leveraged his intelligence and hard work to become a pediatric heart surgeon. But not even his career success can erase the void he's tried so hard to fill. Then he meets high school math teacher Leah Montgomery and his fast-spinning world comes to a sudden stop. He falls hard, only to make a devastating discovery—Leah is the woman his best friend set his heart on months before.

Leah's a math prodigy who's only ever had one big dream—to earn her PhD. Raising her little brother put that dream on hold. Now that her brother will soon be college bound, she's not going to let anything stand in her way. Especially romance . . . which is far less dependable than algebra.

When Leah receives surprising results from the DNA test she submitted to a genealogy site, she solicits Sebastian's help. Together, they comb through hospital records to uncover the secrets of her history. The more powerfully they're drawn to each other, the more strongly Sebastian must resist, and the more Leah must admit that some things in life—like love—can't be explained with numbers.


The Silver Shadow. Liz Tolsma. 2021. [May] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

JACKET COPY: Denver of 1900 is still a dangerous place to be following the silver crash of 1893. And of out of the dark comes a shadow intent on harming women. Ambitious young Denver newspaper reporter Polly Blythe is searching for the big story that’s going to launch her career. On Friday evening, August 24, 1900, she gets her break when two women are cracked over the head within a two-minute walk of each other. But policeman Edwin Timmer thwarts Polly’s ideas of a serial criminal. . .until the shadowy figure strikes again. Will the reporter and the policeman team up to find the culprit before her strikes too close for comfort?


The Way of the Father. Michael W. Smith 2021 [May] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]

JACKET COPY: Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith's The Way of the Father offers a deeply personal reflection on his father Paul Smith's legacy and its profound effect on every area of his life. Through the life and lens of his earthly dad, the multi-platinum selling Christian artist gives glimpses of a Father in Heaven that anyone can approach and experience.
Michael W. Smith, multi-platinum artist, celebrated songwriter, producer, best-selling author, and acclaimed actor, himself a father of five adult children and grandfather of sixteen, calls upon his humble experiences of growing up in a small West Virginia town to share his father's story. Each chapter identifies a quality and characteristic of his dad that came out of an obedient and sacrificial life, committed to serving his Abba Father, including: ​​
Finding truth in tragedy
Loving unconditionally
Persevering through pain
Bringing righteousness to the world
Influencing and inspiring generations
Discovering identity and approval in Christ
Paul Smith was a familiar face in the crowd at Michael W. Smith's concerts over the years. A kind and joyful man who would sing, dance, and worship to the singer's countless number one hits, with his countenance beaming brighter than the spotlights on the stage, Paul would often introduce himself to those nearby and talk about how proud he was of his son. From the artist's early days as a struggling musician in Nashville to his death in 2015 (the year his son's album sales surpassed 15 million), Paul was always Michael's biggest fan.

Michael shares how his dad inspired and encouraged him using biblical principles and virtues. Now, Michael passes on these same truths through stories, testimonies, origins of songs, and personal insights from his family life and thirty-five plus years of touring as a Christian artist. He hopes that by sharing his father's legacy, readers will come to find that no matter who our earthly parents have been in our lives, our Abba Father will never fail us.
The Way of the Father will likewise challenge readers in their faith journeys so they will one day hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have fought the good fight, run the race, and have been found faithful"--just like Paul Smith heard on the day he was called home to be with his Father.


Man of Sorrows, King of Glory: What the Humiliation and Exaltation of Jesus Mean for Us. Jonty Rhodes. 2021. [June] 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]

JACKET COPY: Christians, rightly called "people of the cross," look to Jesus's death and resurrection as the central points of his earthly mission. But in order to understand more fully the person and work of Christ, it's important for believers to fix their minds on his entire ministry--his life, death, resurrection, and ongoing ministry today--and not solely on his work on the cross.

In Man of Sorrows, King of Glory, Jonty Rhodes uses the traditional roles of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king (often referred to as his "threefold office") to show how his whole life--in humiliation on earth and now exaltation in glory--is lived for us. As believers explore Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and ascension, they will develop a holistic portrait of the Messiah and a deeper appreciation for God's plan to reclaim sinners.


© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Saturday, July 17, 2021

39. The Lady In Residence


The Lady in Residence. Allison Pittman. 2021. 239 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The tour ended where it began--in the courtyard of the Alamo, the fortress bathed in white light, flags snapping in the nigh sky. 

Premise/plot: Dini Blackstone is a tour guide--among other things (like a magician)--obsessed with one particular (local) ghost story. Hedda Krause, the "lady in residence," wrote a memoir before her death chronicling her haunting experiences at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. She was haunted by the ghost of Sallie White--and subsequently robbed of all her valuables. Her robbery case was investigated by Irvin Carmichael. Dini has read the memoir hundreds of times. When Quin Carmichael--a descendent of Irvin Carmichael--comes to town with some of his family's things--a notebook, a box, a photograph, etc. The two set off to reinvestigate this cold case. Was Hedda Krause truly haunted by Sallie White (a maid murdered by her husband at the threshold of the hotel)? Or was she the victim of a dark prank? Was the end-game to rob her all along? 

Will Dini and Quin find they have more in common than a ghost story?

My thoughts: Is The Lady in Residence a dual time line novel? Maybe. I can see it being argued both ways. Technically, the past story line is just the reader reading a memoir that the two main characters are reading (or rereading as the case may be). Readers aren't really privy to anything not recorded in her published memoir. This is more a book inside a book. I'll add if my memory is accurate. There might be a couple of pages towards the end of the story where readers do get a more proper flashback of sorts. But I can't recall if this is still part of the memoir OR if it's not. This is part of the whole big reveal section of the book.

Is it a romance? Yes. Somewhat. Dini definitely has her romance. Hedda had hers. But not every romance ends in a happily ever after. Romance isn't the primary focus of the novel. The focus is on this ghost story, on this unsolved mysterious robbery case in the past. The driving of the novel is trying to determine how truthful Hedda Krause was. 

The Lady in Residence doesn't quite fit in with your traditional Christian romance. Nor does it fit in with your typical secular adult romance. It is published by a Christian publishing company. The intimacy of couples are a bit too detailed, too described, definitely hinting at MORE than your typical Christian read. Yet by secular standards it wouldn't be considered smutty or steamy. It's just a bit awkward not fitting in fully with either camp. 

The character of Hedda Krause was intriguing. So much was left UNSAID. And I did question what was said. She's a mysterious character and I can see why Dini found her memoir so compelling. Reading between the lines, I think Hedda's past definitely had some darker #metoo vibes. I think her life was HARD. 

If there was one thing I didn't quite like about this one was the resolution. 

S
P
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DEFINITE SPOILERS

I can see why for plot reasons Quin had to be descended from the original detective (so we could get the good loot to explore), but I didn't see why Dini had to discover her own ancestral roots to the case. It seemed a bit too much. This novel relied 99% on coincidence. And that just felt unnecessary. You can solve a mystery without having to be related to one of the suspects. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

38. 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity


10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (And Answer) About Christianity. Rebecca McLaughlin. 2021. [March] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: When I was a kid, I wanted to be a poet. But my first book wasn’t a gathering of poems. It was a gathering of ideas from some of the world’s brainiest people.

Rebecca McLaughlin presents ten questions--and her answers to those ten questions--in a book written to appeal to young adults (teens). The ten questions are as follows:
  • How Can I Live My Best Life Now?
  • Isn't Christianity Against Diversity?
  • Can Jesus Be True for You But Not True for Me?
  • Can't We Just Be Good Without God?
  • How Can You Believe the Bible is True?
  • Hasn't Science Disproved Christianity?
  • Why Can't We Just Agree That Love is Love?
  • Who Cares If You're a Boy or a Girl?
  • Does God Care When We Hurt?
  • How Can You Believe in Heaven and Hell?
In her answers she touches on dozens of hot topics. There's not many--if any--hot topics she doesn't touch on. 

For better or worse, McLaughlin's narrative is saturated--yes, drenched--in references from almost everything but the Bible. Okay. That's not really fair. I think if you look at the proportion of Harry Potter references to Scripture references, Harry Potter would win. If you look at the proportion of Disney references (Moana, Frozen, Aladdin, etc) to Scripture references, Disney would win. To be fair, it isn't that the book is void of Scripture references, it's just that she's way more likely to refer back to Harry Potter, a movie, a television show (The Good Place, for example), a song than the Bible itself. If she's not referring to something in pop culture, she's sure to have an experience to share from her own life or the life of a friend. 

I'm left with a couple of questions. Is the lack of actual Bible purposeful? Did she decide, HEY, I want to reach a wide audience of teens and the best way to engage and interact with teenagers is by talking their pop culture language. If I speak mostly in terms of Harry Potter and Frozen, am I going to reach more people? IN other words, I don't want to share Scriptures with them, talk doctrine, creeds, or theology. I want to keep them interested after all. Or was this an oversight on her part? Is she more familiar with pop culture--her natural heart language--than the Bible? Is she merely writing what she knows? When she's thinking deep spiritual thoughts, is she actually relating more with Disney characters and Harry Potter than to the Word of God? Is she making sense of theological concepts like love, sacrifice, hope, etc. by connecting them to Disney and Harry Potter? 

It isn't even so much that I disagree with her conclusions--at the end of the day--to most of these questions. It's just some things felt a tiny bit off. More like a clock running two or three minutes fast or late. It isn't off enough to make you late for work. 

The one question that felt perhaps more weird to me than the others was the first one: How Can I Live My Best Life Now? Because this isn't necessarily a question the Bible prompts us to ask. I think historically the church would have looked askance at this question. What is this "best life now" of which you speak? Christianity is NOT about helping anyone live their best life...now. It isn't about mental benefits NOW or physical benefits NOW or emotional benefits NOW. And, yes, the author very much stays in the here and now of answering this question. Citing statistics. People who attend church once a week are fill-in-the-blank more likely to fill-in-the-blank. She might as well be talking about the benefits of flossing your teeth or drinking water. If someone is actually questioning whether or not the Christian life is for them...or not...looking at statistics of church attendance is far off the mark. 

Not any of the questions in this book really deal with the gospel or salvation. No "How Can I Be Made Right with God?" No "If I Were To Die Tonight Can I Be Sure I Would Go To Heaven?" No "Why Did Jesus Have To Die?" 

These ten questions may be common questions. And maybe these ten questions are for the author her most personal questions. On her journey to the faith, these questions may have been the absolute top ten questions she had, the top ten questions she searched out and explored. 

I am not the target audience, obviously. And I'm not a great judge to if this would appeal to actual teens or actual tweens. I've read other reviews that pointed out the book's references would make more sense for the younger crowd (9-12) than the older crowd. But the chapters on sex and gender--particularly the attention to same sex attraction, transgender, non-binary, etc.--seems more appropriate for the older crowd. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Thursday, July 1, 2021

37. The Wish Book Christmas


The Wish Book Christmas. Lynn Austin. 2021. [September] 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Bobby Barrett stepped off the kindergarten school bus and his foot sank into a pile of fresh snow. Some of the snow fell inside his galoshes and soaked into his socks, making him shiver. He couldn’t remember there being this much snow back home in England, where he was born.

Premise/plot: The Wish Book Christmas is the sequel to Lynn Austin's If I Were You. The year is 1951, the season, Christmas. Eve Dawson and Audrey Barrett are living together with their two sons Bobby (Barrett) and Harry (Dawson). Both women are working hard while prioritizing family. When the boys get their hands on a Sears Wish Book catalog, well, their domestic peace is temporarily threatened. These two boys get a case of the GIMMEs. They want EVERYTHING. Well, not everything. Not baby toys. Not girl toys. But every other toy is GIMME, GIMME, GIMME. Can these two mamas figure out how to show their boys the true meaning of Christmas? 

In addition to being a cozy historical read, it is also a romance. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed If I Were You. I did. But even before I knew this book was a sequel to a book I've already read and enjoyed, I wanted it. THAT COVER SAYS READ ME, READ ME, READ ME. It has to be one of the best covers I've ever seen. I also remember my own Wish Book years. There is a JOY in having a Sears Wish Book in hand and writing that letter to Santa. (For the record, I never wanted everything--nor expected everything.) 

As for the book itself, well, it has a definite cozy, nostalgic vibe. It isn't as intense and suspenseful as the first book. There really isn't any conflict. It's just a comfy-cozy, holiday-themed, light-and-fluffy romance. Definitely has some predictable (but always welcome) themes of what the Christmas season really means. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible